1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to rifle rests, and more specifically to an electromechanical firearm rest for precision firearms.
2. Description of Related Art
Numerous firearm rests are on the market today. These rests range in scope from basic sandbags to complex mechanical rests having numerous fine adjustments. The most basic rests are found at virtually every firing range in the world. The most complex rests are quite expensive and are found where the utmost in precision shooting is required, such as benchrest rifle matches. In the sport of benchrest rifle, the object is to shoot five or more bullets into as small a space as is possible. This sport is engaged at various distances, from 25 yard to 1000 yards, and beyond. The requirements for the equipment used in these sports may be complex.
The equipment used, whether rifle, rifle rest, ammunition, optics, etc., must be rugged and manufactured to very tight tolerances to virtually eliminate variations from shot-to-shot. A big part of the shot-to-shot variation is the rifle rest itself. After each shot, the rifle recoils out of its original position. There are practical limits on how much a rest can weigh and regulated limits on how the firearm is secured to the rest. Thus, some recoil movement is inevitable. The key for the shooter is to return the firearm to the exact same position and orientation for each shot as quickly as possible. Mechanically returning the firearm to the same position and orientation will ensure that the firearm is pointing at precisely the same place on the target. Performing this task quickly ensures that wind direction and velocity will not have much of an opportunity to change between shots.
It is possible to move the firearm back to its starting position and orientation manually. This has been the only way it was done until now. However, human inputs are often inconsistent and prone to causing inaccuracy. This is because human inputs can put the firearm back into the same apparent position and orientation, but may do so via a slightly different pathway each time. These different pathways introduce small variations in the stresses and strains in the firearm and rest system. These small stress and strain variations all add up to create minor shot-to-shot variations that lead to inaccuracy and imprecision that can be measured.
Thus, what is needed is an electromechanical firearm rest that virtually eliminates the various stresses and strains between the firearm and rest induced through inconsistent, manual, human inputs to enable the firearm to shoot at the most accurate and precise level possible.
A portable electromechanical firearm rest system with virtual-reality game like controls and method solving the aforementioned problems is desired.